Jennifer Love Hewitt rose to fame in the '90s and 2000s, at a time when misogyny and sexism was at its peak especially with the reporting in tabloid media and paparazzi. Like many of her peers, Hewitt was not immune to this harsh scrutiny and objectification, something several stars have since spoken out about.
In an interview with Vulture ahead of the release of the new I Know What You Did Last Summer film and the legacy of the original, Hewitt said she recently felt that she was subjected to a lot of sexism growing up. She realised the same as she was watching Framing Britney Spears documentary, which highlighted the intense media and public scrutiny she faced throughout her career. The coverage focussed on her personal life, mental health, and relationships often focusing on negative aspects and sensationalizing events.
The actor said, "When I started watching it, I was like, ‘Oh, they talked to me like that, oh.’ I started crying for her. And then I realized I was crying for me."
"Before I even knew what sex was, I was a sex symbol," she added and underlined how she was bothered by the experience, even now. She revealed, "All of a sudden, the pictures were of actresses stumbling out of clubs drunk. It was them at the grocery store looking terrible. It opened this very scary door." Hewitt noted that there was no awareness on misogyny that women were facing everyday. "I don’t put blame on the people asking inappropriate questions. Nobody was saying, ‘Don’t talk to women like that. Don’t talk to little girls like that.’ But I worked hard on [I Know What You Did Last Summer]. I brought good stuff to it, and no one was talking about it. It was just 'Boob, boob, boob' everywhere. I didn’t just show up to wear the little blue top and run around," she said.
Hewitt recalled how she chose to wear a T shirt that read, "Silicone-free" and felt empowered about her decision. "And then, of course, nobody cared. I really wanted to be a good actor, and I was trying to give to the people watching. I was trying to outact the conversation around my body," she said. She also spoke about her low point in her life where she was photographed without her consent during a vacation and it made it to the headline of People magazine. The headline said, "Stop Calling Me Fat". "I was having the time of my life... and they got the picture and then it was on the cover. I don’t think I was ever really insecure until that cover. And then when it happened, I don’t know that I’ve ever recovered from it," she said.
On returning back to I Know What You did Last Summer, she said it was a "healing" experience, especially when she could control what she wears. "Nobody’s going to be talking about my boobs. ‘Oh, you want me to flash you? They’re down here," she said.
The new film, released on July 18, directed by Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, brings the original's cast members Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr. It also stars Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King, Tyriq Withers, Sarah Pidgeon, Billy Campbell, Gabbriette Bechtel, Austin Nichols, Lola Tung, and Nicholas Alexander Chavez.
